By Amy Curtis | August 2025
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In this issue: Kansas nursing schools back in class, First U.S. nurse practitioner dies, Research Committee wants your feedback
This newsletter is 1,203 words long, about a 5-minute read.
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Kansas Nursing Schools Back in Session
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Fall classes began recently for the semester and with it, a slew of announcements about new facilities designed to help educate Kansas nurses.
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Emporia State University kicked off the announcements with their Nursing and Student Wellness Center, slated to open in spring 2026.
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According to an Emporia Gazette article, the building includes spaces and resources for hands-on training and mentorship. Specific features include three medical-surgical simulation rooms, an 11-bed skills lab, two adaptable classrooms and a student lounge.
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Fort Hays State University followed with a groundbreaking for Stroup Hall, a 30,000 square foot addition to the existing nursing building.
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According to a Hays Post article, the initiative includes simulation labs, updated classrooms, and hand-on training opportunities. The new space is slated for opening in December 2026.
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Both projects join Pittsburgh State University’s recent opening of their Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing simulation hospital, which opened in 2022.
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Why this matters: As Kansas grapples with continued instability in the nursing workforce, every initiative that supports the education of nurses adds another layer of stability to our nursing workforce.
Cheers to the schools, communities, and legislators who fund this complex educational ecosystem. Future Kansas nurses thank you!
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First U.S. Nurse Practitioner Dies
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The first U.S. family nurse practitioner, Martha Schwebach, passed away on July 9.
While that milestone is notable in and of itself, what may be lesser known is that Schwebach was born in Pratt, Kansas and first educated as a nurse in Great Bend at the Dominican School of Nursing, graduating in 1960.
A September 2014 article in The Hutchinson News noted, “The Dominican School of Nursing opened in 1954 when students vacated the Central Normal College facility. The nursing school [and three-year diploma program] was closed in 1971 when Barton Community College started its nursing school.”
According to her Wikipedia page, Schwebach was selected for a pilot program designed to address a physician shortage in non-metropolitan and rural areas through the University of New Mexico. She became the first nurse practitioner in 1969 and went on to establish a practice in the Estancia Valley and Moriarty, NM.
“Martha Schwebach’s journey proves that you can start as a nurse anywhere, even in the middle of Kansas, and the sky is the limit of where you take your training and education,” said Kathy Kottas, Dean of Workforce Training and Community Education at Barton Community College. “Mrs. Schwebach was definitely a pioneer for all nurse practitioners but also remained true to her calling as a nurse – to be a patient advocate.”
Our reflection on Schwebach's career: Healthcare workforce shortages are not new. Each community and stakeholder must rise to the circumstances they face. Nursing has been and always will be adaptive to these needs. Perhaps there’s comfort in knowing that.
Hats off to all the nurse practitioners following in Schwebach’s path.
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Research Committee Meeting Resumes
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Our Research Committee is open to all. It meets virtually each month. During the August meeting we conducted a focus group discussion with committee members, asking:
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- From your perspective, how is the Research Committee doing? What changes or improvements would you suggest for us moving forward?
- Which nursing workforce topics/questions should be explored or prioritized by researchers in Kansas?
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So far, we’ve focused on Kansas-based research using our networks. Looking ahead, who else should we invite to serve as presenters for our monthly series?
- Would you like our monthly meetings to include activities other than guest speaker presentations?
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We’d love to know, what are your thoughts about the Research Committee? Send us an email at nursingwill@kumc.edu so we can continue to bring you the nursing research information that is most helpful to you.
The next scheduled meeting is September 25, 2025 from 10-11 a.m. Our presenter is J. Tom Mueller, PhD, Assistant Professor of Population Health and Director of the Kansas Center for Rural Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Led by Shin Hye Park, PhD, RN, the Research Committee, facilitates and promotes collaborative nurse research activities across the state. The committee's goal is to leverage research talent to better serve the healthcare community of Kansas, advance the field of nursing and healthcare and strengthen the nursing workforce in Kansas.
Sign up here to receive the Research Committee meeting link. Please send to colleagues who may also wish to attend.
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State Legislature Grapples with Nurse Shortage at State Hospitals
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The Kansas Special Committee on Health and Social Services’ August 19 hearing dove into the realities of nurse staffing at state hospitals.
Legislators were specifically looking at contract nurses, the money appropriated to hire and retain nurses, and what it might take to fill the vacancies.
In addition to the nurse staffing issues in Larned and Osawatomie, there is concern that the new 104-bed state psychiatric hospital scheduled for a 2027 opening in Sedgwick County will face similar problems.
The committee requested testimony from:
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- Wendy Morris and Ted Lutterman, NASMHPD
- Dr. Kevin Huckshorn, Kevin Huckshorn and Associates
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Topic: State Experience with Privatization
- Leighann Thone, Kansas Legislative Research Department
- Topic: Kansas Considerations
- Amy Campbell, Kansas Mental Health Coalition
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
- Topic: Contract Staffing,
- Topic: SSP Admissions by State
- Topic: State Hospital Shortages & Wages
- Amy Garcia, Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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Topic: Nursing Accreditation Standards
- Jenna Moyer, Revisor of Statutes
- Topic: Seclusion Restraint by APRNs
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We’re loving this taste of fall in Kansas! How about you? We know it’s fleeting—we’ve seen it referred to as “false fall”—but it’s still been a refreshing week… Which is good because early September is shaping up to be busy for the Center.
The State of Nursing in Kansas report has been updated with trended data, and volume 2 (2025) is ready for publication! We’ll be sending out an extra email alert on September 4 with links to download the new report.
Please share the link with your colleagues!
And if you’d rather have a printed copy, we’ll have them with us at:
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Kansas Organization of Nurse Leaders board meeting and education session, Sept. 3-4
- Kansas Hospital Association conference, Sept. 4-5
- Kansas Association of Practical Nurse Educators and Kansas Associate Degree Nurse Educators meetings, Sept. 8
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As you plan your fall and winter meetings, please let us know if you'd like the Center to present scenarios and strategies to help your leaders understand and choose the best information from the report to support change and decision-making, or advocate for the nursing workforce.
We can provide tailored examples of what data to use, where it is found in the report, and why it is applicable to the goals of you or your organization.
Thank you for all you do to support Kansas nurses!
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—Barbara MacArthur and Amy Garcia
Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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Learning and Conference Opportunities
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Helpful Resources and Links
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Watch our webinar series: Leveraging the Data to Guide Decisions for a Strong Nursing Workforce
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Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu
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